One in three pensioners live in poor quality housing

A new Labour party survey shows one in three pensioners who rent their homes are risking their health with damp, cold and dilapidated conditions.

Now the party is calling for landlords to face harsher penalties if they fail to maintain their properties to a sufficient standard.

According to data from the English Housing Survey, 108,850 out of 311,000 pensioners live in properties listed as ‘non-decent’. An additional 475,100 families live in ‘poor-quality’ rented homes.

A vast number of children and pensioners also live in homes with serious hazards such as asbestos and carbon monoxide.

Labour is looking at ways to crack down on rogue landlords by introducing new sanctions. One suggestion is to create a national register of landlords and a standards scheme all must adhere to. Anybody who does not adhere to these standards will be struck off the register to stop them from renting out properties in the future.

Shadow housing minister Jack Dromey said: “The private rented sector has an important role in meeting housing need. But too many tenants are in poor and sometimes dangerous homes. That’s why Labour has set out proposals to drive standards up and bad landlords out. Bad housing harms health and dangerous housing can kill.”

Mr Dromey said all families should have the right to a decent home at an affordable price. Damp, cold, dilapidated buildings are no place to bring up children, and these conditions can accelerate health problems in the elderly.

Being happy in the home is key to good mental health, begging the question – what effect is poor quality housing having on people’s mental health?

Feeling cold and uncomfortable on a daily basis may contribute to a number of mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. The stress of living in poor conditions can also contribute to other tensions, such as relationship and family problems.

To find out how counselling can help with these issues and more, please visit our Types of Distress page and browse the topics.